BISMARCK - The North Dakota Legislature is using Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Day to hold its biennial "Citizens' Night at the Legislature" event.
The public is invited to the Capitol for evening tours and a selected batch of bill hearings and brief floor session.
The bills being heard in the evening include proposed laws allowing 17-year-olds to participate in the state political parties' presidential preference caucuses if they turn 18 by Election Day that year; reduced traffic violation points if the driver is wearing a seat belt when stopped; pay increase for jurors; job protection for volunteer firefighters and ambulance attendants; and allowing 12-year-olds to hunt.
Though the Legislature is open to the public every day, the Citizens' Night event is designed to give people who work during the day and families a special opportunity to watch lawmakers work.
Lawmakers scheduled five bills for evening hearings and will have 45-minute floor sessions. Capitol tours are from 6 to 7 p.m. Bill hearings are from 7 to 7:45 p.m., and the floor sessions in both House and Senate are from 7:45 to 8:30 p.m.
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The Legislature always works on state and national holidays, including MLK Day, Presidents Day and Good Friday.
Other highlights this week include the first hearing for a bill making major reforms in child custody laws, Senate Bill 2042. It's designed to decrease animosity and legal battles amongst divorced couples and other separated parents who share child-raising responsibilities. It came out of an interim legislative study and a State Bar Association of North Dakota task force.
Bills that ban texting while driving, smoking in cars with child passengers and human trafficking are also scheduled this week.
Some notable bills this week:
Monday
House Bill 1181 gives job protection to volunteer emergency responders. House Political Subdivisions, 7 p.m., Prairie Room.
House Bill 1182 gives drivers a reduction-in-point penalty if they are wearing seat belts when stopped and cited for a traffic violation that carries point penalties. House Transportation Committee, 7 p.m., Fort Totten Room.
House Bill 1184 requires law enforcement to prepare and file identity theft reports no matter where the crime took place. House Judiciary Committee, 2 p.m., Prairie Room.
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House Bill 1185 prohibits human trafficking. House Judiciary Committee, 2:15 p.m., Prairie Room.
House Bill 1227 allows provisional hunting licenses for 12-year-olds. House Natural Resources Committee, 7 p.m., Brynhild Haugland Room.
House Bill 1291 allows electronic monitoring of someone subject to a domestic violence protection order. House Judiciary Committee, 9 a.m., Prairie Room.
Senate Bill 2118 increases jurors' pay. Senate Government and Veterans Affairs,
7 p.m., Fort Lincoln Room.
Senate Bill 2179 allows 17-year-olds to vote in presidential preference caucuses if they will turn 18 by Election Day. Senate Government and Veterans Affairs Committee.
7 p.m., Fort Lincoln Room.
Senate Bill 2225 would set up a state grant program for child care. Senate Human Services Committee, 9 a.m., Red River Room.
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Senate Bill 2042 is the child custody law change bill. Senate Judiciary Committee, 9 a.m., Fort Lincoln Room.
Tuesday
House Bill 1258 requires that businesses allow persons with medical conditions to use their restrooms. House Industry, Business and Labor, 8 a.m., Peace Garden Room.
House Bill 1186 prohibits the acquisition and distribution of nude or partially nude photos of someone without their knowledge. House Judiciary, 9 a.m., Prairie Room.
House Bill 1296 increases the limit on small claims court actions to $10,000. House Judiciary, 9:15 a.m., Prairie Room.
House Bill 1255 reduces corporate income taxes. House Finance and Tax, 9 a.m., Fort Totten Room.
House Bill 1279 reduces the state income tax on individuals, corporations, estates and trusts. House Finance and Tax, 9:30 a.m., Fort Totten Room.
House Bill 1371 requires abortion providers to offer to show an ultrasound to the woman before the procedure. House Human Services, 10:30 a.m., Fort Union Room.
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Senate Bill 2170 requires topless dancers and other such workers to register themselves by their real names. Senate Judiciary, 9 a.m., Fort Lincoln Room.
Senate Bill 2171 allows a victim of domestic violence to terminate a housing lease without penalty. Senate Judiciary, 10:30 a.m., Fort Lincoln Room.
Senate Bill 2176 terminates a housing lease of someone who dies, effective the end of the month during which the person died or the following month, whichever is preferred by a representative of the person who died, without penalty. Senate Judiciary, 10:30 a.m., Fort Lincoln Room.
Senate Bill 2187 allows private sector employers to withhold paying employees for accrued time off if they quit voluntarily after less than two years. Senate Industry, Business and Labor, 9:30 a.m., Roosevelt Park Room.
Wednesday
House Bill 1237 allows correctional officers to carry a weapon in certain circumstances. House Judiciary Committee, 9:30 a.m., Prairie Room.
House Bill 1365 prohibits recyclers, scrap metal dealers and scrap yard businesses from purchasing beer kegs. House Industry, Business and Labor, 2 p.m., Peace Garden Room.
House Bill 1378 further restricts 4-year-olds from entering kindergarten and 5-year-olds from entering first grade. Currently, children are usually barred from first grade if they haven't turned 6 by Sept. 1. This bill changes it to July 1. Kindergartners must have turned 5 before July 1 of the year they begin kindergarten. House Education Committee. 9 a.m., Pioneer Room.
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Senate Bill 2190 exempts churches and schools from gaming tax on bingo. Senate Taxation Committee, 11 a.m., Lewis and Clark Room.
Thursday
House Bill 1188 creates felony charges for repeat hunting offenders and suspension of privileges for not less than five years and up to life. House Natural Resources Committee, 9 a.m., Pioneer Room.
House Bill 1206 and House Bill 1356 demand certain highway improvements. HB 1206 calls for four-laning U.S. Highway 52 from west of Minot to the Canadian border. HB 1356 asks the state Transportation Department to make repaving a priority for the southbound lane of U.S. Highway 83 from near Max south to the state Highway 37 turnoff. House Transportation, 9 a.m., Fort Totten Room.
House Bill 1208 bans texting while driving. House Transportation, 9:30 a.m., Fort Totten Room.
House Bill 1239 clarifies that only the owner of property or someone the owner authorizes is allowed to post it for no hunting. House Natural Resources Committee, 9:30 a.m., Pioneer Room.
Senate Bill 2070 bans smoking in a vehicle when children younger than 16 are passengers. Senate Transportation Committee, 10:30 a.m., Lewis and Clark Room.
Friday
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House Bill 1193 appropriates $2 million to the Dunn County Fair Association to establish a High Plains Cultural Resource Center. House Political Subdivisions, 9:30 a.m., Prairie Room.
House Bill 1403 calls for the design and building of a new Governor's Residence. House Government and Veterans Affairs, 9 a.m., Fort Union Room.
Senate Bill 2027's hearing could be a big event and has been moved to the Capitol's largest hearing room. It's an extraterritorial zoning bill that amends current state law allowing cities to extend the reach of their zoning regulations. Senate Government and Veterans Affairs, 9 a.m., Brynhild Haugland Room.
Cole works for Forum Communications Co., which owns The Forum. She can be reached at (701) 224-0830 or forumcap@btinet.net
